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Cao Cao
Cao Cao (c. 155–220), courtesy name Mengde, was a warlord and the penultimate Chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty who rose to great power in the final years of the dynasty. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously honoured as "Emperor Wu of Wei". Although he is often portrayed as a cruel and merciless tyrant, Cao Cao has also been praised as a brilliant ruler and military genius who treated his subordinates like his family. He was also skilled in poetry and martial arts and wrote many war journals.Cao Cao was known as one of the Three Heroes along with his Rivals Liu Bei and Sun Jian Early Life Cao Cao was born in Qiao (present-day Bozhou, Anhui) in 155. His father Cao Song was a foster son of Cao Teng, who in turn was one of the favourite eunuchs of Emperor Huan. Some historical records, including the Biography of Cao Man, claim that Cao Song's original family name was Xiahou. Cao was known for his craftiness as an adolescent. According to the Biography of Cao Man, Cao Cao's uncle complained to Cao Song about Cao Cao's indulgence in hunting and music with Yuan Shao. In retaliation, Cao Cao feigned a fit before his uncle, who immediately rushed to inform Cao Song. When Cao Song went to see his son, Cao Cao behaved normally. When asked, Cao Cao replied, "I have never had a fit, but I lost the love of my uncle, and therefore he deceived you." Afterwards, Cao Song ceased to believe his brother regarding Cao Cao, and thus Cao Cao became even more blatant and insistent in his wayward pursuits. At that time, there was a man named Xu Shao who lived in Runan and was famous for his ability to evaluate a person's potentials and talents. Cao Cao paid him a visit in hopes of receiving an evaluation that would help him politically. At first, Xu Shao refused to make a statement; however, under persistent questioning, he finally said, "You would be a capable minister in peaceful times and an unscrupulous hero in chaotic times."2 Cao Cao laughed and left. There are two other versions of this comment in other unofficial historical records. Early Career and Yellow Turban Rebellion Statue of Cao Cao in Wuhan, Hubei Province At the age of 20, Cao Cao was appointed district captain of Luoyang. Upon taking up the post, he placed rows of multicolored stakes outside his office and ordered his deputies to flog those who violated the law, regardless of their status. An uncle of Jian Shuo, one of the most powerful and influential eunuchs under Emperor Ling, was caught walking in the city after the evening curfew by Cao Cao's men and was flogged. This prompted Jian Shuo and other higher authorities to ostensibly promote Cao Cao to the post of governor of Dunqiu County while actually moving him out of the imperial capital. Cao Cao remained in this position for little more than a year, being dismissed from office in 178 for his distant family ties with the disgraced Empress Song.3 Around 180, Cao Cao returned to court as a Consultant (議郎) and presented two memoranda against the eunuchs' influence in court and government corruption during his tenure, to limited effect.4 When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out in 184, Cao Cao was recalled to Luoyang and appointed Captain of the Cavalry and was by follow by Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan (騎都尉) and sent to Yingchuan in Yu Province to suppress the rebels. He was successful and was sent to Ji'nan (濟南) as Chancellor (相) to prevent the spread of Yellow Turban influence there. In Ji'nan, Cao Cao aggressively enforced the ban on unorthodox cults, destroyed shrines, and supported state Confucianism. He offended the local leading families in the process, and resigned on grounds of poor health around 187, fearing that he had put his family in danger.5 He was offered the post of Administrator of Dong Commandery (東郡), but he declined and returned to his home in Pei County. Around that time, Wang Fen (王芬) tried to recruit Cao Cao to join his coup to replace Emperor Ling with the Marquis of Hefei, but Cao Cao refused. The plot came to nothing, and Wang Fen killed himself.6 Alliance against Dong Zhuo Main article: Campaign against Dong Zhuo After 18 months in retirement, Cao Cao returned to the capital Luoyang in 188. That year, he was appointed Colonel Who Arranges the Army (典軍校尉), fourth of eight heads of a newly established imperial army, the Army of the Western Garden. The effectiveness of this new force never became known, since it was disbanded the next year.7 In 189, Emperor Ling died and was succeeded by his eldest son (Emperor Shao), although state power was mainly in the hands of Empress Dowager He and others. The empress dowager's brother, General-in-Chief He Jin, plotted with Yuan Shao to eliminate the Ten Attendants (a group of influential eunuchs in the imperial court). He Jin summoned Dong Zhuo, a seasoned general of Liang Province, to lead his army into Luoyang to pressure the empress dowager to surrender power, despite accusations of Dong's "infamy". Before Dong Zhuo arrived, He Jin was assassinated by the eunuchs and Luoyang was thrown into chaos as Yuan Shao's supporters fought the eunuchs. Dong Zhuo's army easily rid the palace grounds of opposition. After he deposed Emperor Shao, Dong Zhuo placed the puppet Emperor Xian on the throne, as he deemed that Emperor Xian was more capable than the original puppet Emperor Shao. After rejecting Dong Zhuo's appointment, Cao Cao left Luoyang for Chenliu (southeast of present-day Kaifeng, Henan, Cao's hometown), where he built his army with Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan. The next year, regional warlords formed a military alliance under Yuan Shao against Dong. Cao Cao joined them, becoming one of the few actively fighting members of the coalition. The coalition fell apart after months of inactivity, and China fell into civil war while Dong Zhuo was killed in 192 by Lü Bu. Rise of Power Cao Cao Invasion of Xu Province Through short-term and regional-scale wars, Cao Cao continued to expand his power. In 193, Cao massacred thousands of civilians in Xu Province to avenge his father, whom Cao Cao believed to have been murdered by Xu Province's governor, Tao Qian.Cao Cao sent Cao Ren to the front to engage against Tao Qian Army Tao Qian was aid by Liu Bei and Liu General Guan Yu and Zhang Fei fought against Cao Cao Army when Cao Cao heard of Liu Bei arrival Cao Cao exclaim I more have the Fifty thousand men while this Sandal mat weaver have more than few thousand men and yet he dare come to fight me when struggle force in frontline Cao Cao retreat later Liu Bei sent a letter to Cao Cao asking cease fire and withdraw but Cao Cao throw down and the letter and said how dare this peasant stand against me with such impudence and Cao Cao refuse to cease fire until he received report that Lu Bu seize control his territory in Yan forced Cao Cao go back to reclaim his Territory Dealing with Lu Bu in Yan Province In 194, Cao Cao took most of his soldiers to Xu province in order to defeat Tao Qian, leaving most of his territory undefended. A number of discontented officers led by Chen Gong and Zhang Chao (Zhang Miao’s brother) plotted to rebel. They convinced Zhang Miao to be their leader, and to ask Lü Bu to come with reinforcements. Chen Gong invited Lü Bu to be the new Inspector of Yan province. Lü Bu accepted this invitation and led his soldiers into the province. Since Cao Cao’s army was away, many of the local commanders figured that fighting would be a lost cause and surrendered to Lü Bu as soon as he arrived. However three counties – Juancheng, Dong’a, and Fan, remained loyal to Cao Cao and when Cao Cao returned, he gathered his own forces at Juancheng. Throughout 195, Cao Cao and Lü Bu fought several battles of some size. Though Lü Bu initially did well in holding Puyang, Cao Cao won almost every engagement outside of Puyang. Cao Cao’s decisive victory came in a battle near Dongming. Lü Bu and Chen Gong led a large army to assault Cao Cao’s forces. At that time, Cao Cao was out with a small army, harvesting grain. Seeing Lü Bu and Chen Gong approaching, Cao Cao hid his soldiers in some woods and behind a dam. He then sent a small force ahead to skirmish with Lü Bu’s army. Once the two forces were committed, he unleashed his hidden soldiers. Lü Bu’s army was devastated by this attack and many of his soldiers fled. Lü Bu and Chen Gong both fled after that battle. Since Xu province was now under Liu Bei’s command and Liu Bei had been Cao Cao’s enemy in the past, they fled to Xu for safety. Cao Cao decided not to pursue them and instead set about crushing Lü Bu’s loyalists in Yan, consolidating his hold over that province. Securing the Emperor In 196, Cao Cao heard Emperor Xian escape control of Li Jue and Guo Si and was headed straight to Luoyang Cao Cao realize that if he gain the emperor under his control he would control Warlord under the emperor name and imedility head straight for Luoyang Warlord such as Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu refuse to aid the Emperor but Cao Cao did and he and convinced the Emperor to move the capital to Xuchang as suggested by Xun Yu and other advisors, as Luoyang was ruined by war and Chang'an was not under Cao's military control, and he was appointed chancellor. Cao Cao became General-in-Chief (大將軍) and Marquis of Wuping (武平侯), though both titles had little practical implication. While some viewed the emperor as a puppet under Cao Cao's control, Cao adhered to a strict personal rule to his death that he would not usurp the throne. Later, when he was approached by his advisors to overthrow the Han dynasty and start his own dynasty, but however Cao Cao advisor Hou Teng oppose this and told Cao Cao if you were to take the Throne there would be a risk and danger if you usurp the throne there are still Loyal official in the Han Court and you would be view as a wicked usurper like Wang Mang there by you should not consider Loyalist as minor threat once you hold power for a long time your own successor will be the one to do so Cao Cao laugh and replied, "If heaven bestows such a fate upon me, and if what you said is true then let me be King Wen of Zhou."8 Conflict with Shi Lian and Shi Dan Battle of Kaifeng During the Time Shi Lian a warlord who rose prominence in northwest china launch a Campaign against Cao Cao but died of illness later that year when Cao Cao heard of Shi Lian Death Cao Cao laugh and reply Shi Lian was great thorn in my side but now he is dead I had nothing to fear and I would like to see his corpse myself Shi Lian was succeeded by his son Shi Dan unlike his Father Shi Dan is reckless Prideful and arrogant and he charge forward without thinking even though he successfully capture Kaifang that his own father could not however Hou Teng advise Cao Cao to use all archer at the Main Camp and fire against Shi Dan Calvary Unit and Cao Cao Defeated Shi Dan and Shi Dan Met with a devastated Defeat at Kaifeng and withdrawn soon afterward Cao Cao enemy from the west will no longer a threat for the next several year Conflict with Yuan Shao To maintain a good relationship with Yuan Shao, who had become the most powerful warlord in China when he united the northern four provinces, Cao Cao lobbied to have Yuan appointed Minister of Works. However, this had the opposite effect, as Yuan Shao believed that Cao Cao was trying to humiliate him, since Minister of Works technically ranked lower than General-in-Chief, and thus refused to accept the title. To pacify Yuan Shao, Cao Cao offered his own position to him, while becoming Minister of Works himself. While this temporarily resolved the conflict, it was the catalyst for the Battle of Guandu later. Battle of Wan Castle Later in 197, Cao Cao returned south to attack Liu Biao/Zhang Xiu once more. This time, Cao Cao was very successful and greatly damaged their army. Cao Cao attacked Zhang Xiu again in 198 leading to the battle of Rang and was again victorious. He ultimately retreated from this campaign because he received word that Yuan Shao was planning to march on Xu, though this report turned out to be in error. Campaign against Yuan Shu Liu Zheng Li Chong and Yao Jun Battle of Lu An Battle of the Fei River Battle of Shouchun Meanwhile, Lü Bu was growing more aggressive. He drove Liu Bei out of his territory again and allied with Yuan Shu – who had now declared himself Emperor of Zhong. Since Zhang Xiu had recently been crushed, he was in no position to be a threat in the south, so Cao Cao went east to deal with Lü Bu. Conflict with Fu Guang Battle of Yellow River Battle of Qin Mountain Battle of Longxi Conflict with Lu Bu Battle of Xiapi Cao Cao defeated Lü Bu in numerous battles and eventually surrounded him at Xiapi. Lü Bu tried to break free but could not do so. Ultimately, many of his officers and soldiers defected to Cao Cao. Some were kidnapped by defectors. Lü Bu grew disheartened and surrendered to Cao Cao, who executed him. Battle of the While Tower Cao Yuan Conflict Battle of Boma and Guandu In 200, Yuan Shao amassed more than 100,000 troops and marched southwards on Xuchang in the name of rescuing the emperor. Cao Cao gathered 20,000 men in Guandu, a strategic point on the Yellow River. The two armies came to a standstill as neither side was able to make much progress. Cao Cao's lack of men did not allow him to make significant attacks, and Yuan Shao's pride forced him to meet Cao's force head-on. Despite his overwhelming advantage in terms of manpower, Yuan Shao was unable to make full use of his resources because of his indecisive leadership and Cao Cao's position. Besides the middle battleground of Guandu, two lines of battle were present. The eastern line with Yuan Tan of Yuan Shao's army against Zang Ba of Cao Cao's army was a one-sided battle in favour of Cao, as Yuan Tan's poor leadership was no match for Zang's local knowledge of the landscape and his hit-and-run tactics. On the western front, Yuan Shao's nephew, Gao Gan, performed better against Cao Cao's army and forced several reinforcements from Cao's main camp to maintain the western battle. Liu Bei, then a guest in Yuan Shao's army, suggested that he instigate rebellion in Cao Cao's territories as many followers of Yuan were in Cao's lands. The tactic was initially successful but Man Chong's diplomatic skills helped to resolve the conflict almost immediately. Man Chong had been placed as an official there for this specific reason, as Cao Cao had foreseen the possibility of insurrection prior to the battle. Finally, a defector from Yuan Shao's army, Xu You, informed Cao Cao of the location of Yuan's supply depot. Cao Cao broke the stalemate by sending a special group of soldiers to burn all the supplies of Yuan Shao's army, thus winning a decisive and seemingly impossible victory. Battle Cangting Yuan Shao fell ill and died shortly after been the defeat again at Cangting Battle of the White wolves Mountain Soon after his Death his two sons – the eldest son, Yuan Tan and the youngest son, Yuan Shang. As he had designated the youngest son, Yuan Shang, as his successor, rather than the eldest as tradition dictated, the two brothers fought each other, as they fought Cao Cao. Cao Cao used the internal conflict within the Yuan clan to his advantage and defeated the Yuans easily. Cao Cao assumed effective rule over all of northern China. He sent armies further out and expanded his control across the Great Wall into present-day Korea, and southward to the Han River. Red Cliff Campaign Battle of Chang Ban Battle of the Red Cliffs However, Cao Cao's attempt to extend his domination south of the Yangtze River was unsuccessful. He received an initial success when Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province, died, and his successor, Liu Cong surrendered to Cao Cao without resistance. Delighted by this, he pressed on despite objections from his military advisors and hoped the same would happen again. Hou Teng oppose Cao Cao to attack further and suggest that he should try to gain support from the people in the province while urging Cao Cao to eliminated Liu Bei as quickly as possible reasoning that Liu Bei would try to convince Sun Jian to resist Him but Cao Cao refuse as he did not see Liu Bei as a potential threat in Conquering the Yangtze River His forces were defeated by a coalition of his arch-rivals Liu Bei and Sun Jian (who later founded the states of Shu Han and Eastern Wu respectively) at the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208 and met with a devastated lost Cao Cao fled to Nanjun when many of Cao Cao troop and officer were devastated of the lost Cao Cao exclaim Victory and Defeat are common occurrence in battle so why simply be sad about it we should be happy that we alive. The Shu Wei Wu Contention In 213, Cao Cao received the title "Duke of Wei" (魏公) and was given the nine bestowments and a fief of ten cities under his domain, known as Wei. In 216, Cao Cao was promoted to the status of a vassal king - "King of Wei" (魏王). Over the years, Cao Cao, as well as Liu Bei and Sun Jian, continued to consolidate their power in their respective regions. Through many wars, China became divided into three powers – Wei, Shu and Wu, which fought sporadic battles without the balance tipping significantly in anyone's favour. Northwest Campaign Battle of Tong Gate Battle of Guanzhong Hanzhong Campaign Incident at the Hongjin Temple and Death In 220, Cao Cao died in Luoyang at the age of 65, having failed to unify China under his rule. His will instructed that he be buried near Ximen Bao's tomb in Ye without gold and jade treasures, and that his subjects on duty at the frontier were to stay in their posts and not attend the funeral as, in his own words, "the country is still unstable". Category:Wei Category:Cao Wei